The Hangover Part III (Blu-ray)

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All Rise...

Never leave Judge Patrick Naugle alone in Las Vegas. Ever.

The Charge

The Wolfpack returns.

Opening Statement

The epic Hangover trilogy (and I'm using the word "epic" very loosely)
comes to an end with the third and final (?) film now available on Blu-ray from
Warner Home Entertainment.

Facts of the Case

Things come full circle in The Hangover Part III when Phil (Bradley
Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook),
Stu (Ed Helms, We're the
Millers), Doug (Justin Bartha, The Hangover), and Alan (Zach
Galifianakis, Out Cold) head back to where it
all began: the Vegas strip. After Alan goes off his medication and his father
passes away from a heart attack, Stu and Phil try to help out by taking him back
to Las Vegas. But what is supposed to be a placid getaway becomes a wild ride
when international criminal Leslie Chow (Ken Joeng, TV's Community) steals millions from a crime lord
named Marshall (John Goodman, The Big
Lebowski) and the Wolfpack gets forced into helping lure Chow out of hiding.
With poor Doug held as collateral by the psychotic Marshall, it will take all of
their willpower and friendship skills to get out of Sin City alive!

The Evidence

I can still remember hearing all the buzz about The Hangover when it was
first released to theaters. Viewers found it hysterical…so funny, in fact,
that it quickly became the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time.
What made the film such a success? It certainly had a unique twist: instead of
following a group of bachelors through a debauchery-laden night in Las Vegas,
the film instead focused on the aftermath of the bachelor party and the mystery
of what happened to the soon-to-be groom. The film featured a funny script,
spirited performances (especially by the eccentric Galifianakis), and some truly
classic comedic moments.

Of course, with the amount of money The Hangover raked in, a sequel
was inevitable and in 2011 moviegoers got The Hangover Part II. However, unlike
the first film which had felt like a breath of fresh air, the paltry sequel
essentially rehashed the same storyline to far lesser success. Both critics and
audiences balked at a movie that felt darker, weirder, and a lot less funny.
Yet, The Hangover Part II still went on to out-gross the first film
worldwide and paved the way for the inevitable second sequel. Fans wanted to see
the return of the Wolfpack, and they paid for it, both with audible groans and
their hard earned cash.

So now we come to The Hangover Part III, written and directed by Todd
Phillips (who helmed the first two entries), which is not only the worst of the
three Hangover movies, but also one of the most inexcusable comedies of
the last five years. I found hardly anything to laugh at during this dark and
depressing cinematic stinker. When a movie leaves you almost totally stone
silent throughout—and you're watching talent like Ed Helms and Zach
Galifianakis—something has gone terribly and irreconcilably wrong.

The Hangover Part III tries desperately to recapture the lightening
in a bottle feel of the first film by going full circle back to Las Vegas.
However, instead of this being a fun party movie like the original film, this
one quickly becomes far more mean spirited and sinister than the previous films.
The Hangover Part III introduces us to a new villain, Marshall (John
Goodman, in full bad guy mode), who would be better served in a Quentin
Tarantino snuff flick than a light hearted comedy. Also back is the diminutive
Leslie Chow, played by the game-for-anything Ken Jeong. Jeong is an actor of
considerable comedic talents, but his Chow is a character who works only in
small doses. Chow is used quite frequently and, by the time he saunters in for
his final scene, I couldn't have been happier to see him leave for good.

All three of the main characters return, though they look as if they're just
sleepwalking through the film for a paycheck. Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper is
the least interesting of the bunch, given little to do buy scowl at Alan's
shenanigans. Helms and Galifianakis get the biggest laughs here, although
"laugh" is a very subjective word. The fact of the matter is, The Hangover
Part III's biggest gut-buster comes not during the main story but after the
credits have started rolling—you'll know it when you see it. The scene is
so brazenly silly and out-of-nowhere that I couldn't help but wish that the rest
of the movie had been as carefree and wild. There are a few others familiar
faces in the movie—including Heather Graham's return as Stu's ex-wife
stripper and Melissa McCarthy as a shop owner who exchanges inappropriate sexual
innuendo with Alan—but none of them are able to lift the movie beyond
being a pale imitator of the first film.

I know that I'm not the only one who despised The Hangover Part III;
Warner projected the film would make $80 million in its first five days and it
only cleared $109 million in its entire theatrical run. Even though this was a
financial success for Warner Bros, I have the sneaking suspicion we won't be
seeing The Wolfpack back in theaters anytime soon. In my opinion, that's a true
win-win for everybody.

Presented in 2.40:1/1080p HD widescreen, unlike the content of the movie,
Warner Bros' work on this transfer is top notch. The image is crystal clear
without any obtrusive defects or dirt, the colors are bright and shiny, and the
black levels effectively solid. The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track is equally as
good, with a lot of directional effects—so many the film seems to teeter
on being an action flick—and the music crackles through all five speakers.
Also included are 5.1 mixes in Spanish and French, as well as English SDH,
Spanish, and French subtitles.

Bonus features include a few short featurettes ("The Wolfpack's Wildest
Stunts," "Zack Galifianakis in His Own Words," "Pushing the Limits," "Inside
Focus: The Real Chow"), a secret audition tape of famous faces reading Alan's
part ("Replacing Zach: The Secret Auditions"), an action mash-up of the film's
action moments, some extended scenes, a few improved outtakes from the
production, plus a DVD and digital copy of the film.

The Verdict

This one is guaranteed to leave you feeling as sick and tired as the film's
namesake.